STAYING POWER
March 06, 2020
Prayer: May we bring praise and honor to Your name right where You have placed us this day. Please help us to run our race to the finish line this year with integrity and putting the needs of those You have put under our care.
Scripture: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12 NIV
Dale was retiring at the end of the year, and everyone knew it. He made it a practice his entire last year to take off most Fridays as “sick days.” Because of the wording of the contract, he was able to escape discipline for this behavior. His bitter spirit toward a school system he had grown to despise placed his students at a great disadvantage, and hurt a school already struggling to find substitute teachers.
Mary was tired and also in her last year of teaching. She did minimal work, showed very little care for her students, and spent only as long a time at school as was required each day. Unfortunately, for her students, this particular fifth grade was nearly a “lost” year. They endured a year without the thoughtful, concerned, industrious teacher to which they were entitled.
God puts a high premium on perseverance from His people, and expects all of us to finish at least as well as we started. In contrast with the two teachers mentioned above, many Christian teachers on their way to retirement reach the pinnacle of their career in their last year, reveal a plethora of wonderfully successful lessons, and give loving concern for their students despite their weariness in the fray. This can be a difficult time to churn out newand fresh ideas, but God expects our best.
If God has truly called you to teach, He will carry you successfully to the end, despite the bitter trials. He waits to strengthen, to help, and to encourage each teacher who works in His name. His “mercies are new every morning,” and He has more than enough grace for us to carry out what may seem like an endless career.
Copyright Shirley Wilson. Email [email protected]